Traffic control time indicator



Jan. 6, 1942.

B. B. WATTS ETAL TRAFFIC CONTROL TIME INDICATOR Filed Jan. 23, 1941 2Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 6, 1942. 5, -1's r I 2,269,386

TRAFFIC CONTROL TIME INDICATOR Filed Jan. 23, 1941 2 SheetsSheet 2Patented Jan. 6, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEB...lfifflfifilliiifiiffifii:I...

Application January 23, 1941, Serial No. 375,676

11 Claims.

Various forms of trafllc light control meansv are.

commonly in use to-day, and, generally speaking, these traffic-controllights include one green or"go light, one red or stop" light, and anamber light which will indicate a coming change from green. to red, orvice versa.

It has been commonly found that vehicular and pedestrian traffic doesnot always start or stop promptly on the change of lights, and veryoften a vehicle or a pedestrian goes only as far as perhaps the middleof the light-controlled intersection at the time that the traffic lightchanges from green to red.

The primary object of our invention is, to provide an indicating meanswhereby the trafllc may be made of transparent material with the arrowopaque.

.Spaced apart from the uprights 4 are legs l2 which are hingedly securedto the base 2 by means of suitable hinges l4. At the end of the legs l2remote from the base 2, we provide a suitable motor support IS on whicha conventional constant speed motor I8 is supported.

The motor I8 is provided with an elongated shaft which extends outwardlytherefrom, and on which is fixedly secured a friction disk 22, whichdisk is adapted to frictionally engage the transparent disk 8. Anadditional friction disk 24 is slidably positioned on the shaft 20 andis provided with an extended metallic core 26.

This core 26 is adapted to be inserted within a solenoid 28, whichsolenoid is adapted to pull the metallic core 26, and its associatedfriction readily become aware of the approximate length of time that thesignal will remain with its instant light on before the light isautomatically changed either from.;a signal to a stop or vice versa.

Another object of our invention is to provide an indicating meanswhereby waiting trafllc may accurately judge the moment when the lightwill change and-its turn to go will commence.

A further object of our invention is to provide a time indicating deviceto be used in conjunction with existing trailic lights, or to be usedindependently thereof, to indicate the elapsed portion of time and theremaining time before a trafllc light change.

disk 24, inwardly against the pressure of the coiled spring 30 at thetime that the solenoid 28 is energized. The coil spring 30 is adjustableon the shaft 20 by means of the collar 32, the pressure of the coilspring being properly adjusted to afford a suflicient amount of tensionto engagethe friction disk 24 against the transpar-,

ent disk 8 and to hold the latter against the friction disk 22 securedto the motor shaft. The

motor I8 is provided with a suitable ear 34 to A further object of ourinvention is to provide time indicating means for trafllc control lights1 which may be adjusted to coordinate accurately with existing trafficcontrol lights.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation; and

Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in thedirection of the arrows.

Our whole device is mounted on a base 2 to i which uprights 4 areattached to support, by means of suitable bearings, the shaft 6 on whichthe disk 8 is secured. The end of the. base 2 which carries the disk 8is adapted to bepositioned suitably in front of the amber lens 9 of aconventional traflic signal, or any other source of light.. The diskt isprovided with an indiwhich is hingedly secured a stop rod 36, which isprovided at the end thereof remote from themotor [8 and the ear 34 witha V-shaped notch 38 in position to engage the crank-arm 40 of the shaft6 when that crank-arm is in the position shown in Fig. 2 with theindicating arrow I0 pointing upwardly.

A support 42 upstanding from the base 2 is in position to slidably holdthe stop-rod 36 in a proper position so that the V-shaped notch thereonmay be moved into and. out of engagement with ,the crank-arm 40 as themotor I8 is moved to the right or to the left, as will be more fullydescribed hereinafter. Attached to the stud 42 we provide a coil spring44 which extends between the support 42 and one leg I 2, supporting themotor base 16 and the motor, the tension of this spring 44 being adaptedto pullthe .legs l2, the motor support and motor, toward the support 42and to maintain the V- shaped notch 38 in engagement with the crankarm40 of the shaft 6.

On the side .of the motor l8 and motor base It. remote from the uprights4, shaft 6 and disk 8, we provide two solenoids 46 and 48 properly positioned, above the base 2 by an upright 45, the solenoid 46beingprovided with a conventional coil having electric leads 46a and46b, which leads are adapted to be connected with the conventional tramclight green light circuit. The electric leads 48a and 48b from thesolenoid 48 are adapted to be connected to conventional trafllc lightred light circuit. These solenoids 46 and 48 are provided with adjustingscrews 50, 52, respectively, so that the amount of travel of thesolenoid cores 54 and 56, respectively, may be properly adjusted forpurposes of synchronizing the rotation of the disk 8 with thepredetermined period of time that the red or the green light of aconventional trafllc control'light is adjusted to be on.

The ends of the solenoid cores 54 and 56 are provided with the slottedportion into which hooks 58 and 68 extend. These hooks 58 and 68 areproperly secured to the legs I2 under the motor base l6, so that at thetime that either of the solenoids 46 or 48 is energized, the motor [8and its assembled mechanisms will be pulled slightly away from the disk8, and also the stop rod 88 will be pulled sufllciently away from theshaft 6 so that the V-shaped notch 38 will disengage the crank-arm 48,allowing the shaft 6 to revolve. We provide a flexible armature 62extending across the two solenoids 46 and 48 and provided at its endswith contact points 64 and 68, which contact points are in position tomake contact with the contacts 68 and 10, respectively. The contact 10is electrically connected to a source of supply of electricity, and thecontact 88 is electrically connected with an end of the winding of thesolenoid 28, the other end of the solenoid winding being connected withthe source of supply of electricity.

Operation In operation, our device may be positioned in front of theamber lens of a conventional traffic signal light (or any other sourceof light) which amber light is adjusted to be continually energized toprovide a light which will pass through the transparent portion of thedisk 8 or indicating media I 0. At the time that the reen light of thetraffic control signal is energized, the solenoid 46 will be energized,and will pull the solenoid core 48 inwardly until it comes in contactwith the adjustable stop 58, and the core 54 will pull against the hook58, pulling the motor l8 and its elongated shaft 20 to a properlyadjusted position for the friction disks 22 and 24 to engage the disk 8and re'volve the latter at a predetermined speed. At the same time thestop rod 36 is moved so that the V-shaped notch 38 is taken out ofengagement with the crank-arm 40 to allow the shaft 6 to rotate. At thetime that the solenoid core 54 is pulled inwardly by the solenoid 46,contact is broken between the contact points 64 and 68, and thereby thesolenoid 28 is deenergized and the coil spring 30 pushes the metalliccore 26 ,and the friction disk 24 toward the motor and into engagementwith the disk 8. The parts will remain in this condition as long as thegreen light is energized by its own conventional mech-- anism, therotation of the disk 8 being adjusted by the adjusting screw 50 ofsolenoid 46 so that the disk 8 will make one revolution during theperiod of time the green light is energized.

After the green light has gone off," by operation of its own mechanism,an interval of a secnd or two is provided whereby the motor may bepulled back by the sprin 44 to properly engage the V-shaped notch 38 andthe crank arm 48 and to adjust the indicating means on the disk 8 in theproper starting position,'if by chance it is rotated either slightly toofar or not far enough. After that momentary interval, the red light ofthe traflic control light is energized by its own mechanism and by meansof its connections 48a and 48b, the solenoid 48 is energized, and itscore 56 will be pulled inwardly until its engagement with the end of theadjusting screw 52. By pulling inwardly the core 56, the hook 68 on themotor I8 is pulled, and simultaneously contact points 66 and 18 arepulled apart to deenergize the solenoid 28. After this has taken place,the operation will be the same as described above, and the motor throughits assembled mechanism will rotate the disk 8 through the onerevolution by means of its adjusted position, which has beenpredetermined by setting the adjusting screw 52 of the solenoid 48.

After the red cycle of the traffic light control is completed, theindicating means III on the disk 8 will again be pointing upwardly, andthe mechanism is in position to proceed again on the green cycle of thetrailic light mechanism after a momentary pause of one or two seconds.

We claim:

1. A traffic control time indicator including a revolving disc, havingindicia thereon, said disc having the double function of mounting theindicator and also serving as a mechanically engaged part of thefriction drive, a motor, magnetically controlled means engaging saidmotor with the said disc, and magnetic circuit makerbreaker meanscontrolling the magnetic motor engaging means.

2. A traffic control time indicator including a revolving disc, havingindicia thereon, a motor, a motor shaft, a friction disc secured on saidshaft, a spring-pressed friction disc slidable on said motor shaft, anda solenoid adapted to retract the said slidable friction disc, the saidfriction discs positioned to engage the said revolving disc near theperiphery thereof.

3. A traflic control time indicator including a motor, an elongatedmotor shaft, a friction disc fixed to said shaft, a friction discslidable on said shaft, a rotatable indicator disc having its peripheraledge between said friction discs, and solenoid means controlling theengagement of said sliding friction disc with the said indicating disc.

4. A tramc control time indicator including a motor, an elongated motorshaft, a friction disc fixed to said shaft, a friction disc slidable onsaid shaft, a rotatable indicator disc having its periphery between saidfriction discs, and solenoid means controlling the engagement of thefriction discs with the said indicating disc.

5. A traffic control time indicator including a motor, an elongatedmotor shaft, friction discs mounted on said shaft, an indicator dischaving its periphery between said friction discs, and solenoid meanscontrolling the time of engagement of the indicator disc with the saidfriction discs.

6. A traiiic control time indicator including a motor, an elongatedmotor shaft, friction discs mounted on said shaft, an indicator dischaving its peripheral edge between said friction discs, and solenoidmeans attached to the trafilc control circuit regulating the time ofcontact between the indicator disc and the friction discs.

'7. A traflic control time indicator including a revolving indicatordisc, a motor, an elongated motor shaft, a pair of friction discs onsaid shaft, one fixed and one slidable, a solenoid around one end ofsaid shaft, a solenoid core affixed to the slidable friction disc, twosolenoids positioned laterally of the motor and shaft, circuit breakersattached to said solenoids, and hooks attached laterally to said motorin position to be engaged by the solenoid cores, the two solenoidsadapted to adjust the said friction discs in position to rotate theindicator disc at proper speed.

8. A traffic control time indicator including a rotatable indicatordisk, an electricmotor, a movable support therefor, the motor having ashaft with fixed and slidable friction disks thereon in position toembrace the edge of the indicator disk, means for sliding the slidabledisk at predetermined intervals for frictional contact with theindicator disk, and means for shifting the position of the motor andfriction disks with respect to the position of the periphery of the in-'dicator disk.

9. A traific control time indicator including a rotatable indicatordisk, an electric motor, a movable support therefor, the motor having ashaft with fixed and vslidable friction disks thereon in position toembrace the edge of the indicator disk, magnetic means for sliding theslidable disk at predetermined intervals for frictional contact with theindicator disk, and magnetic means for shifting the position of themotor and friction disks with respect to the position of the peripheryof the indicator disk.

10. A traffic control time indicator including a rotatable indicatordisk, a rotatable shaft on which said indicator disk is mounted, saidshaft having a crank-arm thereon, a motor, a movable support on whichsaid motor is mounted, a stop-rod hingedly connected with the motor andhaving a notch at one end in position to engage the crank-arm when thedisk is in a certain predetermined position, a shaft driven by themotor, friction disks on said shaft in position to engage the oppositesides of the periphery of the indcating disk, magneticmeans forcontrolling one of said disks, and magnetic meansfor shiftingthe'position of the motor and the disks carried on the motor shaft.

'11. A traffic control time indicator including a. rotatable indicatordisk, a rotatable shaft on which said indicator disk is mounted, saidshaft having a crank-arm thereon, a motor, a movable support on whichsaid motor is mounted, a stoprod hingedly connected with the motor andhaving a notch at one end in position to engage the crank-arm when thedisk is in a certain predetermined position, a shaft driven by themotor, friction disks on said shaft in position to engage the oppositesides of the periphery of the indicating disk, magnetic means forcontrolling one of said disks, magnetic means for shifting the positionof the motorand the disks carried on the motor shaft, and meansconnected with this i last-mentioned magnetic means for permitting anylength interval, either the stop or go light which might be desired.

BRUCE B. WA'ITS. ED FACKLER, JR.

